To Shoe or NOT to Shoe?

I have decided to try barefoot trimming on my horses. I have been thinking about doing this for awhile now. The lady I ride with goes barefoot with her horses.
Ginger and Zippity really needed a trim, and my trimmer had some stuff come up and couldn't make it out. So I called my friend and luck has it her trimmer was coming soon to do her horses. I called him up and asked him if he would take a look at my horses. He came over after he did my friends horses and took a look at Ginger and Zippitys hoofs. I didn't tell him anything about the issues I have been having with them, and he could tell within a few mins. I was really impressed.
Ginger had a crack in her hoof that I have been watching for awhile now, it wasn't a very deep crack. Zippity had a tender hoof on the front. He told me that he could fix both issues. Ginger also was still having some issues with tripping. He told me that her hoof was part of the issue with her tripping.

He came back the next day and trimmed the horses. It has now been a few weeks and there feet still look great. NO more cracks!!!! Zippity is walking a lot better, and Ginger tripping has almost disappeared. The crack in Ginger hoof is gone. I have been trying for 2 yrs to get that crack gone and with one trim I cant even see it anymore. I cant wait for next summer when I can ride more, I cant wait to see how Ginger will be next year.

I bet Zippity will be huge next summer, I cant wait. It has been a great summer with my horses. I hope next summer will be just as great!

WOW, its been a year already!

Well its been a year since I saw Zippity add on ksl. Where does the time go? As I have read and looked back on the past year, I'm amazed at how much Zippity and I have grown. Zippity whinny no longer sounds like a baby horse, she is almost as tall as Ginger. She is reminds me of what it was like growing up going to my grandpa house and going down to the horse corrals.

My grandfather horses were always so friendly and trusting. I could go into any of the corrals and pet and groom his horses. They loved being around people. Zippity is very friendly and trusting. She lets me do anything to her. I can put a saddle on her a tarp, throw rope around her head and around her legs. I can lunge her, pick up her feet and she almost lets me deworm her.

My grandpa was amazing with horses. I really wished I would have taken a summer and lived with him and learned all I could about working with a horse. I did learn some things but not much. I also wished that my grandpa would have been able to come with me to help me pick out my first horse, tho I think he would have liked Zippity. One thing about my grandpas horses that I have always loved was the fact they all loved him and would follow my grandpa around anywhere. They were like big puppy dogs. There was this one horse named Posie, he would do anything to be with my grandpa. He would escape out of the corral go behind my grandpa and take his gloves out of his back pocket and run. I recall my grandpa telling me how when he was camping Posie untied himself and tried to climb into the tent with my grandpa. He was a great horse for my grandpa for everyone else he would tolerated them. I have always wanted this kind of relationship with a horse. I feel like I am getting what I wished for so far. When ever I work in the corral Zippity is always right next to me. She follows me around and has to have her nose into whatever I'm doing.

This is Posie with my brother in law on him, as you can see Posie is sleeping. This is just example of how he only tolerated other people ridding him

I am looking forward to this next coming year with Zippity to see where things will go. I am thinking I will send her to a trainer when she is 3, I will continue to work with her on the ground and work on getting a cinch around her belly and don't forget getting a bit in her mouth. She is a big part of the family, my kids just love her. My youngest always tells me that Zippity is her horse and maybe one day she will be.

This is a picture of my grandpa when he was younger moving cattle

Give me a WOOT!!!!!

I just put a kids saddle on Zippity, and she could have cared less. Can everyone give me a WOOT WOOT!!!

How tall will she be when she is done growing?

Zippity is 53 inches tall, any guess on how tall she will be when she is done growing?

Color me pretty!

I love watching Zippity shed off her winter coat, and reviling what a beautiful horse she is. Her main and tail is full of hair and white as can be. Her tail is very long and might one day reach the ground. A lot of changes has happened not just with Zippity but with me as well.

Cindy came out to see how we were doing, I showed her how I can lunge her. I can get her to trot on command and stop. When I tell her to stop she STOPS, and then she faces me. Cindy told me that she has noticed that I am a lot more confidant with her, and can see the difference in me and in Zippity. When we were just standing and talking about what steps I would be taking next with Zippy, she just stood there very relaxed. Once in while she would paw at the ground but I would tell her to stop and she would. In August we will be introducing the bridle to Zippy, I look forward to see what she will do.

I would also like to share that dreams do come true, if you hold on to them long enough. You have all read how I always wanted Ginger and now I have her, that in itself is a dream come true. But another dream has been filled I have joined a riding club, the Salt Lake County Sheriff Pose. We will be doing drills and parades. This is my first riding club ever. I used to dream of joining a club with Ginger, and now its here. I am so excited to start this adventure. I will post pictures and keep you updated on how we do. I am really nervous I hope I do well.

To sale or not to sale!

Well Zippity is full of energy, and I have been feeling very unfit to work with her. I'm starting to think in my head WHAT WAS I THINKING....... I have gotten some help from a lady at my dad's work, she has been coming over and helping me work with Zippity. We have been working on getting her to lunge. I was getting really frustrated with her, I didn't feel like she was getting it. I even put her up for sale on ksl, I got no calls on her for 6 days. I took that as a sign that I just needed to suck it up and keep trying. The weather has been making it hard to get out and work with her on a regular schedule. But I have been trying. At First when I was working with Zippity she would buck and kick and run around like a chicken without a head. I even got my first rope burn from her. I didn't know what I was supposed to do or if I was doing something wrong. But Cindy came over and helped me with Zippity and has shown me what I needed to do. I think my biggest issue I have is I am a little afraid of her. She is getting so big and I really really don't want to get run over or kicked. I am trying to over come my fear. I have been working with Zippity when ever the weather allows and you know what ? She is doing GREAT! Each day I work with her she gets better and better. I am able to lunge her without to many issues. I can get her to trot on voice command and she stops also when I tell her to. I am so grateful for Cindy for taking time to come over and helping me with Zippity. She is amazing person. I am really glad that I didn't sell her! I think that this says something about me when I get frustrated I want to give up. But I am learning to over come my frustration and to keep going. Its amazing what horses can teach us about who we are as a person. I hope to become a better mom, wife and friend with the lessons I am learning from Zippity. I hope I can get someone with a video cam to come out and record me working with Zippity so that I can show you what we can do.

YAY!!!

Zippity is getting so big, she is a very beautiful horse. I had a neighbor come over and work with her a little bit. He showed me more stuff I can do with her. He said that she seems like she will be a very easy going horse, I really hope that's true. He got her to start to lunge a bit. We put a bareback pad on Zippity and tightened it up around her belly, I thought for sure she would buck a little. She just stood there like it was no big deal.

I dewormed her the other day, and I will tell you she did not like it one bit, I had to get some help in holding her. She was not going to let me put that tube of dewormer in her mouth.

I worked with her today on my own, and I was very excited that I got her to do some of the stuff he showed me to do with her, It took a bit of time but then I got her to lunge around me a bit too. I was very excited about it, she seems to learn really fast.

She has a very playful personality, I was walking out this morning to feed them when all of a sudden Zippity was trying to pull off my hat from behind. It scared the crap out of me , I didn't even hear her behind me. If I am working in the yard she is always with me trying to help out. She likes to be next to me, as I try to take her picture she always trying to get up close to me, so I have to be fast with the camera.

I love to watch her with Ginger, the other day Ginger was laying down and Zippity kept walking around her and she would go by Gingers head Ginger would try and bite her. Zippity just kept walking around her for about 5 mins, and would once in awhile nip at Gingers tail. They are so cute when they are both laying down next to each other. I just love looking into my backyard and watching my Girls.

I cant wait for more nice days, when I can get outside more and work with her everyday.

Long winter

Well it has been awhile since I have worked with Zippity, due to how cold it has been and how muddy her corral is. I worked with her today it is 40 degrees right now. and the corral is starting to dry out again. I was a little nervous to work with Zippity since it has been a while and she is so much bigger. I was able to put the halter on her with out to much trouble, I was very grateful for that.
I brushed her off and got her mane nice and pretty looking. She was being really great. I then got out the bare back pad and put it on her and she didn't mind at all, I then used the saddle blanket and then the tarp. The tarp she got a little nervous with so I worked with that one a lot longer then the other two. I was able to lead her around with not to much problems. I think it would be nice to have a trainer come out her and watch me with Zippity and tell me what I need to work on, and how to handle her better. I will have to start to talk to people and see if anyone knows someone that can take the time and come out here and show me what I need to do.
I hope now that the weather is getting better I will be able to get outside more and work with her. I really hope to show her this summer, I don't really care if we don't place I just want to try it out.